Château Musar - Seacove Premium Wine & Spirits Château Musar Created in 1930, in the cellar of an old XVIIIth century castle, Château Musar is as much the work of a family as the living testimony of all the civilizations that tread its soil. After a long stay in France, Gaston Hochar returned to Lebanon and created Château Musar in the cellars of the old 'Mzar' castle in Ghazir, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. What began as a hobby soon became a passion; a passion inspired by an initial encounter with renowned viticulturist Ronald Barton while he was stationed in Lebanon during the Second World War. The family's love for wine grew and in 1959, after completing his oenology diploma in Bordeaux, the eldest son, Serge, entered the business. Some call him the magician, the man behind this extraordinary wine. His response? That all he "seeks is to translate what nature intended." In 1984, Decanter Magazine recognized Serge for his winemaking skill and courage, naming him the magazine's inaugural Man of the Year.

Sadly after 55 vintages, Serge passed away suddenly at the age of 75 in December 2014. 2006 Château Musar White 60% Obaideh & 40% Merwah Grown high in the mountains of Lebanon, the vines were less affected by the intense heat of the summer than the red grapes on the Bekaa Valley plain. The grapes, harvested at the usual time in mid October, were very ripe with good fruit concentration and good acidity and tannins. Fermented in French Nevers oak barrels for nine months, it was blended and bottled at the end of its first year and released six years later in 2007. This vintage, like all Musar whites, will have extraordinary aging potential. Deep golden straw in colour; intense aromas of toasted brioche, almonds, apricots, baked apples, ripe pears, vanilla and honey. The palate is full with a buttery honeyed nutty texture. Its good acidity lends to the balance with the vanilla, butterscotch, apples and quince flavours. It is rich and mellow with a very long finish. It is a substantial wine!

SKU: 716175 2007 Château Musar Red 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cinsault & 20% Cariñena A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan grown in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. The 45+ year old vines produce a wine dark red in colour with brick edges. Good red fruits and some spice on the nose with a hint of leather and cedar, and a touch of volatile acidity. Ample bodied, round and warm in the mouth with supple tannins, ample fruit and leather finishing off in spicy notes. Will benefit from aging probably well into its 20's. SKU: 420869 2012 Jeune Red 50% Cinsault, 30% Syrah & 20% Cabernet Sauvignon Chateau Musar’s youthful ‘Jeune’ wines are made from the fruit of Bekaa Valley vines at around 1,000m above sea level.

Altitude keeps the average temperature moderate at 25 degrees Celsius and with 300 days of sunshine a year, grapes are ripened to perfection. An unoaked blend of Cinsault, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2010 vintage has a rich nose of red fruits, cherries, cooked plums, black currants and blueberries with a hint of violets coming from the Syrah. These fruit characters follow through to the rich, warm palate which is also full of cinnamon, nutmeg and Christmas spices. This wine with its velvety soft tannins and long, warm finish is best enjoyed in its youth (in contrast to the Chateau Musar bottling, which is not released until its seventh year). Perfect with roasted and grilled meats, spicy Mediterranean dishes, casseroles and mature hard cheeses. Enjoy straight from the bottle (no need to decant) and serve at room temperature. SKU: 768051 2013 Jeune White 35% Viognier, 35% Vermentino & 30% Chardonnay An unoaked blend of Viognier, Vermentino, and Chardonnay.

Crisp, aromatic and vibrant, this eclectic blend of French and Mediterranean varieties has its own distinctive personality: scintillating flavours of passionfruit, apples, elderflowers, limes and apricots and a dry, refreshing finish. Served gently chilled, it’s the perfect choice for grilled fish, seafood, Lebanese ‘mezze’ and chicken tagines. “Smoky and rich with a swirl of petrol, dried apple and smoked nut skin flavors on the nose and palate, this is a dry, full-bodied white blend that’s intentionally savory in style. Pleasantly pithy in the midpalate with hints of sun-dried hay and orange peel.” SKU: 831354 2014 Jeune Rosé Cinsault This is a dry, deeply-coloured, serious Rosé, best enjoyed with food. Smooth and rounded, it has raspberry, almond and red appleskin aromas and a warm finish. Made from 100% (the Rhône grape variety) Cinsault; from vines planted in 2000 and grown at around 1,000m above sea level in the Bekaa Valley.

Musar Jeune Rosé is produced by the ‘saignée’ (‘bled’) method using pink juice removed from Cinsault grape must, fermented in cement-lined vats and released unoaked a year after the harvest. No need to decant; enjoy chilled (12°C) with baked salmon, shellfish, roast pork or tomato-based pasta dishes. SKU: 315929 L'Arack de Musar Spirits Considered to be the traditional alcoholic drink of Lebanon. Variations of this anise based spirit can be found throughout the eastern Mediterranean under different guises. But, l'Arack de Musar is unique in its quality (four distillations) and limited availability. The well-ripened naturally sustained white grapes are harvested late and allowed to ferment. Second, distillation of this must is carried out in copper Alambic pot stills at very low temperature to ensure only the alcohol is collected and no condensation of water. Then, aniseed is introduced into this first distillation and allowed to mellow for five to ten years before being reintroduced into a clean pot still and redistilled. Two more distillations take place to further purify the final Arack.

And finally, it is matured for 12 to 24 months in terracotta amphoras (like those used by the Romans two thousand years ago). The alcohol content is 53% by volume. SKU: 131805 Lebanese Wine Regions Lebanon Lebanese Wine Lebanon is a Middle Eastern country with an ancient wine culture that has experienced a renaissance in the past few decades. In 2011, roughly six million bottles of Lebanese wine were produced from 5000 acres (2000ha) of vineyards concentrated mostly in the Bekaa Valley. The majority of Lebanese wine is exported to the UK, France and the USA, where the receptive consumer bases have encouraged healthy growth in Lebanon's modern wine industry. In 1998 there were fewer than ten wineries in Lebanon – now there are more than 30. The majority of the wine they produce is red, made from the classic wine grapes of southern France . Lebanese wine history dates back more than five millennia. It begins with the Phoenicians, an ancient civilization whose strong culture of travel and trade was of considerable importance to the development of early Mediterranean civilization.

Wine was an important export for this ancient culture, and was taken to Egypt in large volumes and traded for gold. The flag of Lebanon For well over 1000 years, Phoenician traders consistently extended their influence from their homelands (modern-day Lebanon, western Syria and northern Israel ) along the north coast of Africa and up into southern Europe – notably Sardinia , Sicily , southern Italy , Greece and Turkey . They traded gold, dyes (including Tyrian purple), metalwork, glass, ceramics and wine. Along with these wares came the raw materials and technologies used to make them. It was this enthusiastic talent for trade and technology that we have to thank for much of Europe’s winemaking history, including the propagation of various members of the Vitis vinifera vine family. The ancient port of Byblos, just north of the Lebanese capital Beirut, is widely viewed as the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city. It was famous in classical antiquity as a wine center, in terms of both production and trading. For centuries a reliable river of wine flowed out from Byblos, metaphorically speaking, and into the Mediterranean.

Tyre and Sidon (Phoenicia's other key ports, to the south of Byblos) were also important wine centers. This remained the case until the 16th century, when the Ottoman armies swept southward around the eastern Mediterranean. Wine production and consumption were prohibited under their Sharia law, so the once-thriving wine industry around Byblos, Tyre and Sidon fell silent for almost 350 years. As dhimmis (non-Muslims living in a Muslim state), Christians living in Lebanon at that time were permitted certain freedoms, one of which was the right to make wine for ceremonial purposes. It was on this basis that in 1857 a group of Jesuit priests founded a winery in Ksara, a small town in the fertile Bekaa Valley, Lebanon’s finest wine terroir. Chateau Ksara warrants its own chapter in the annals of Lebanese wine history, alongside Chateau Musar and Chateau Kefraya. The Christian community that founded the original winery effectively founded the modern Lebanese wine industry, and their efforts have been rewarded with the chateau’s success as the nation’s largest wine producer.

Even today one in every three bottles of Lebanese wine is produced at Ksara, which also makes Arak, the anise-flavored spirit that remains Lebanon’s most popular alcoholic beverage. The original vineyards at Ksara were planted with Cinsaut , which was subsequently joined by other French vine varieties. Most of these remain in Lebanon’s vinicultural makeup today: red Carignan , Grenache , Syrah , Mourvedre , Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot , and white Ugni Blanc , Clairette and Chardonnay . The original plants were brought from France via the French colonies in Algeria , and with them came contemporary French winemaking wisdom. This, coupled with the country's period under French rule in the early 20th century, explains why Lebanon’s wine industry is so closely modeled on its counterpart in France. It is also the reason why Lebanese wineries are Chateaux and why the national wine authority, the UVL, is the Union Vinicole du Liban. The first comprehensive Lebanese wine laws were drafted in May 2000.

Although not as detailed or comprehensive as the French AOC laws they're based on, they outline each of the significant elements required for a national-level wine-regulation system. The laws include definitions of wine-related terminology such as that used for sweetness (e.g. sec <4g/l RS and doux >45g/l RS) and sparkling wine pressures (e.g. petillant >0.5 bar, and mousseux >3.5 bar). Modern Lebanese viniculture has moved away from the ancient Phoenician port cities and inland to the fertile Bekaa Valley. There are also a handful of vineyards near Jezzine, a few miles beyond the southern end of the Bekaa, just inland of Sidon. Enjoy this video interview about Lebanese wine, with Emile Majdalani, Commercial Director of Château Kefraya Last updated 01-Aug-2014 Eastern Mediterranean | Wine Enthusiast Magazine Courtesy of Shutterstock Encompassing the Balkans, Lebanon and Israel, the Eastern Mediterranean is a polyglot of cultures and grape varieties. Indigenous varieties with unpronounceable names grow side-by-side with such internationally recognized stars as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Greece Greece’s best, most distinctive wines are indigenous grape varieties that are unknown elsewhere. Moschofilero is Greece’s answer to Pinot Grigio—a light, attractively fruity white that can be charming when cleanly made. Reds tend to be more rustic, whether made from Agiorgitiko or Xinomavro. Hungary Although home to the storied wines of Tokaji and Egri Bikaver (Bull’s Blood), quality was stunted by the chaos that supplanted Communism. Western investment and heroic individual efforts are just beginning to bear fruit. Bulgaria For decades, a source of inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon destined largely for the U.K. market. Croatia Original homeland to Zinfandel—known on the Dalmatian coast as Crljenik Kasteljanski. Plavac Mali is a similar grape, making sometimes tough, tannic wines. Israel High-tech farming is a hallmark of Israeli agriculture and grape growing is no different, with carefully metered irrigation of international grape varieties the rule rather than the exception. A new generation of carefully sculpted reds is raising the bar.

Lebanon For years, Lebanese wine was synonymous with Château Musar, but now other names have joined the Hochar family in making wine amidst the ruins. Reds show the most promise. Romania Inexpensive for a reason. Slovenia Bordering Italy’s Collio region, Solvenia produces many of the same grape varieties, including pungent Sauvignon and classy Tocai, as well as blended whites. Chapter 15- Eastern Mediterranean - StudyBlue Good to have you back! If you've signed in to StudyBlue with Facebook in the past, please do that again.

Chapter 15- Eastern Mediterranean - red grape variety used primarily to make sweet fortified wines Kava - Label term that indicated a table wine that has been aged for a minimum of - 3 years for red -Style of dessert wine produced on Santorini Island Topikos Oinos (T0) - Greek term for "regional wine" equates to a PGI status Onomasia Kata Paradosi (OKP) special category of Greek wine classification used for retsina Onomasia - top quality designation used exclusevely for sweet wines Moschofilero - a pink skinned grape used to produce high-acidic, whites with floral, spicy aroma - The Mantinia OPAP produces dry white wine Xinomavro - red grape variety grown in the north, often compared to Pinot Noir Onomasia Top quality designation used for dry unfortified wines Assyrtiko - high acid white wine grape variety originally from Santorini Athiri White grape grown in Rhodes and Santorini - low acidity - Red grape grown mainly in the Peloponnese Epitrapezios - classification for standard greek table wine Muscat - white grape variety used to produce a famous sweet wine in the region of Samos Roditas One of

 the most widely planted white grapes in Greece, known for producing easy- drinking wines with fruity flavors Advertisement Patras region of Greece is known for producing dry white wines from____, a sweet fortified red wine made using____ -Roditas the largest red wine appellation in Greece Cyprus - the island is home of Commandaria, a sweet amber colored wine with a history going back 4,000 years 2 main grape varieties used in the production of Commandaria - Mavro (r) - an aging system using earthenware jars, was traditionally sued in the aging of commandaria Kavaklidere - the largest producer of wine in Turkey Most of the vineyards in Lebanon are located in a fairly high elevation region known as____, 2 other areas ___ and___ - Bekaa - the leading wine producer in Lebanon 5 wine producing regions in Israel 1.

Galilee 4. Jerusalem Mountains 5. Negev * The material on this site is created by StudyBlue users. StudyBlue is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the academic institution or instructor. Words From Our Students "StudyBlue is great for studying. I love the study guides, flashcards and quizzes. So extremely helpful for all of my classes!" Alice , Arizona State University "I'm a student using StudyBlue, and I can 100% say that it helps me so much. Study materials for almost every subject in school are available in StudyBlue. It is so helpful for my education!" Tim , University of Florida "StudyBlue provides way more features than other studying apps, and thus allows me to learn very quickly!??I actually feel much more comfortable taking my exams after I study with this app. It's amazing!" Jennifer , Rutgers University "I love flashcards but carrying around physical flashcards is cumbersome and simply outdated. StudyBlue is exactly what I was looking for!" Justin , LSU Mediterranean wines - World Food & Wine World Food & Wine Fascinating for food and wine lovers! The amazing variety of food an drink across the globe.

Search form Home Mediterranean wines Mediterranean wines Tasting May 2009: A selection of Mediterranean wines chosen to show the differences among the areas. Codorniu Pinot Noir Cava, alcohol 12% This wine is 100% Pinot Noir. No better way to begin than with a glass of sparkling wine. Cava is the sparkling wine of Spain produced largely in that part of Spain. People now drink more cava than champagne. Companies have been making sparkling wine from local grape varieties, in the same way as champagne, for over 150 years. Standards have risen in recent years and producers are making increased use of international grape varieties. Domaine Felines Picpoul de Pinet 2008, alcohol 13% The wine selected is a white wine from near the town of Sete. The grape is Picpoul and the area is Picpoul de Pinet. Sometimes compared with Muscadet, the grape is naturally high in acidity - Picpoul means lip stinger - and an ideal partner for the mussels that grow in the nearby salt lakes. This wine goes well with light food.

The French Languedoc coast which is home to many characterful wines including unusual dessert wines Maury and Banyul. Better known areas such as Fitou, Corbieres and Roussillon are increasingly producing quality red wines often from neglected varieties like Carignan. Further eastwards is the southern Provence, the home of rosé, and a little further beyond Marseille one can find the delightful red wines of Baudot. Spoilt for choice. Araldica La Monetta Gavi di Gavi. 2008, alcohol 12% This wine is from the Araldica company in the centre of the Gavi area...hence Gavi di Gavi. Made from 100% Cortese grape, an increasingly fashionable wine that goes well with salads and lighter foods as well as seafood. Italy has more grape varieties than any other country. Many of them are highly localized. Just across the border into Italy is Piedmonte - the foot of the mountains - and home to some of Italy's most expensive red wines including Barolo and Barbaresco. Just inland from the port of Genoa is the small area of Gavi.

The grape there is the Cortese which produces a delicate, refreshing wine that traditionally was the wine that accompanied the locally caught seafood. The citrus notes are balanced by hints of pears, a characteristic of good Italian Pinot Grigio. Its popularity has now spread beyond the local restaurants. Finest Fiano 2007 alcohol. 13.55% This wine is from the Fiano grape grown near the historic town of Menfi; a lively, fruit packed wine with notes that can include apple, peach and honey. A wine that goes well with sturdier chicken or fish dishes. Moving down the Italian coast, particularly south of Naples, there are many interesting wine areas. The volcanic soils and the warmer climate give added complexity to the grapes. Many of the grape varieties owe their origins to the early Greeks. Wines to consider include Fallanghina (white), and Aglianico (red). However, our next port of call is Sicily, Italy's biggest wine producing area. Until recent years, wines from Sicily were generally sent northwards in barrels for blending and beefing up some of the more modest northern wines.

These days, Sicily is proudly bottling many of its own wines, often through a new wave of cooperatives. The Fiano grape has been grown in Sicily for at least two thousand years. In 1990 it was Italy's second most planted grape variety, after Sangiovese. Another local white grape, Catarratto, is perhaps more expressive/heavier and can also be worth trying. More restrained local grapes, but worth a try, are Insolia and Grillo. Finest Nero D’Avola 2007 alochol 13.5% This wine goes well with barbecued steaks and roast lamb. Still in the Menfi area you can find Sicily's most planted red grape, Nero d'Avola. A powerful, flavor packed grape that until the early 1980s was routinely used to strengthen weaker reds in France and, particularly, Northern Italy. It is sometimes compared with an Australian Shiraz. Lots of blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry notes that build to give a rich, full bodied finish. A grape that many predict will become much better known and appreciated.

Firebird Legend Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 alcohol 13% The quality control procedures set for this wine are very, very impressive. The Black Sea countries are beginning to emerge from the former soviet shadow and Moldova seems to be leading the way in wine terms. Once a major supplier to Moscow at very depressed prices, the country is struggling to, and beginning to achieve, international recognition. One of the smallest and poorest countries in Europe it nonetheless has the greatest potential in the region. It is the same latitude as Bordeaux and much of the usable land slopes conveniently face southwards. The poverty has meant that there has been minimal usage of chemicals, hence many of the grapes are grown organically, and the vine stock is generally old , and old vines produce greater concentration of flavors in a wine. There is now major investment in the wine making facilities. The attentions of successive Tsars has meant that most of the grape varieties are international and include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Moldova has the largest wine cellar in the world: a drive through experience through some of the estimated 43 miles of tunnels.

Horchar from Chateau Musar 2001 alcohol. 13.5% This is a hugely individual wine that has an extraordinary range of flavors. The Lebanon claims a 6,000 year wine history. The Phoenicians developed winemaking in the Bekaa Valley and were wine traders in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly with Egypt. They were followed by the Romans who further strengthened the importance of Lebanese wine. Canaan is in southern Lebanon and referred to in the Bible. Chateau Musar was established in 1930. The vineyards are at an average height of 3,200 feet (1,000 m). The altitude, old vines and low yields give a particular intensity to the grapes. Musar produce a number of red and white wines but their flagship wine is Chateau Musar. It is aged for 7 years before release. The second wine, Hochar, is aged for 3-4 years. The blend varies from year to year. The 2001 vintage is dominated by Cabernet sauvignon and Carignan with other grapes, including Cinsault, playing minor roles.

Domaine Larroque Merlot-Syrah 2005 alcohol 13.5% This is an intense, fruit driven wine with a little spiciness, from the Syrah; a wine that would go well with beef, lamb and, of course, with tagines. The North African coast was once a major producer and exporter of wine. Until as recently as the early 1950s, north Africa represented around two thirds of the internationally traded wines. The wines from the French territories of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco were mainly shipped into France, blended and often sold as Vin de Table. The independence struggles of these countries in the late 1950s (particularly in Algeria, the largest wine producer) resulted in great hostility towards anything French. The strict Muslim code dealt a further blow to any alcoholic products. This was followed by EU regulations which decimated exports. The vineyards and wine making facilities inevitably deteriorated. There has been a revival, particularly in Morocco. The high valleys of Morocco have long been regarded, particularly by the Romans, as excellent for growing grapes. Today, the French influence is slowly returning. The tasting wine is a blend of Merlot and Syrah.

Lebanon wine: The Eastern Mediterranean's most exciting vineyard Lebanon wine: The Eastern Mediterranean's most exciting vineyard James Lawrence Lebanon wine: The Eastern Mediterranean's most exciting vineyard Dynamic Lebanese duo Karim and Sandro Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rioja, Tuscany, the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon? The last area may seem the most unlikely of locations to encounter fine wine, but all of the preceding regions do have a long and proud tradition of vine cultivation. In fact, Lebanon boasts a history of wine-making that stretches back far longer than in Western Europe. Since Biblical times people have revelled in the delights of Lebanese wines, and despite a distinctly rough patch (Lebanon is one of the few countries where bombs fall on vineyards!) the wine industry has entered a remarkable resurgence in recent years. At the end of the Lebanese Civil War in 1990, there were just five wineries remaining who had survived the conflict. Today there are over 30 and a flood of new wineries have appeared in the last 10 years. Vines are also being increasingly planted in areas other than the traditional focal point of winemaking - the Bekaa Valley in southern Lebanon, close to the Syrian border.

Moreover, the leaps and bounds in quality that have been achieved over the past decade are nothing short of remarkable, and an influx of young winemakers and foreign investment and talent has ensured that the top wines are now truly deserving of their price tags. It appears that a fusion of French grapes and expertise, mixed with Middle Eastern spice can give superb results. Lebanon's wine origins take us back to ancient times, thousands of years before the Romans spread the vine across Western Europe. The Phoenician civilisation is believed to have been responsible for spreading wine and viticulture throughout the Mediterranean, and developed a lucrative sea-trade in exporting Lebanese wine to other states. Vines were first planted in the Canaan, which is today Lebanon's western coastal strip and wine was an important part of the Phoenician region. However, in the 7th century when Lebanon became a Caliphate or Muslim state, wine production all but died. Its revival came many centuries later in the 1800s, when Jesuit monks planted vines in the now famous Bekaa valley. In 1868 a French engineer, Eugene Francois Brun set up Domaine des Tourelles and a slow trickle of wineries started to appear.

Still the most widely recognised in the UK is Chateau Musar, founded by Gaston Hochar in 1930. Today, a small but extremely dynamic industry is thriving, overcoming the constantly volatile political climate of the region to craft a formidable selection of ripe, rich but structured wines. The vast majority of Lebanon's vineyards and wineries are located in the southern Bekka valley with approximate 2000 hectares under vine in Lebanon. The main red grape varieties planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, Carignan and Merlot, with the whites largely being composed of blends of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Viognier. The indigenous Obeideh is a local curiosity rarely seen outside of Lebanon. The red, iron rich soils of the valley form a clay-limestone growing environment not dissimilar to regions like St-Emilion in France. Of course, the climate is a world apart - winters are damp and cold with temperatures often below zero, in contrast to normally scorching hot, dry summers with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees. But key facts and history aside, one of the most impressive things about Lebanese wine is simply how damn good they are!

This realisation hit me as I tasted my way through the superb wines of recent newcomer Château Marsyas, founded in 2005 by the Johnny R. Saadé family. Dynamic brother duo Karim and Sandro produced their first vintage in 2007 and aided by international wine consulat e Stephane Derenoncourt have taken the winery to the forefront of Lebanon's top producers in under two years. The vineyards are located, naturally in the Bekka valley, just 60km from Beirut and the estate produces an excellent, balance white blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and an equally excellent Château Marsyas red. The red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and Petit Verdot - a potent and concentrated wine which invigorates, but does not assault the senses with powerful fruit and notes of tobacco, rum and spice. It's what Lebanon does best - superstar reds at affordable prices!

These are my top 5 wines being made in Lebanon today: 2009 Château Marsyas Red - RRP £35.00 Where to buy: 2010 Château Marsyas White - RRP £28.00 Where to buy: 2005 Château Musar Gaston Hochar - RRP £19.99 Where to buy: 2007 Hochar Pere et Fils - RRP £11.99 Where to buy: 2012 Château Ksara Clos St Alphonse - RRP £59.94 (for case of six) Where to buy : Lebanon | Wine regions | JancisRobinson.com Wine regions Lebanon Lebanon The latitudes of the Lebanon on the eastern Mediterranean coast may seem too low for high-quality wine production, but the Bekaa Valley on an inland plateau as high as England’s tallest mountains eases the temperatures considerably and can yield some very exciting red wines.

Chateau Musar is the label best known outside the Lebanon and its bordeaux-like structure (filled out with much headier Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsaut fruit than the Médoc is ever likely to produce) was inspired by a visit to the Bartons of St-Julien. Whites tend to flab (although Musar is working on his) but some very respectable dry rosés are also made by producers such as Kefraya and Ksara. These last two are giving Chateau Musar some increasingly stiff competition. Chateau Kefraya’s oaked Bordeaux blended red is more than respectable and Ksara’s dry rosé goes perfectly with the fresh vegetables and powerful flavours of Lebanese mezze. A prominent declaration of intent is Massaya, a serious red wine enterprise backed by top quality St-Émilion and Châteauneuf expertise, but other new or renewed ventures to watch include Chateaux Belle-Vue, Khoury, St Thomas and Domaines de Baal, des Tourelles and Wardy. For more information on this region go to Wines of Lebanon .

In a nutshell Join and gain access to wine reviews and much more MOST POPULAR Wine Talk: Look around us - Arts & Culture - Jerusalem Post Wine Talk: Look around us Wine Talk: Look around us It is important for us to know and understand the wines that are produced in our neighboring countries. Wine Talk 370. (photo credit:courtesy) Share on Facebook Share on Twitter A recent wine tasting of Israeli wines conducted by Jancis Robinson MW in London revealed a huge surprise. The best white wine was produced by a monastery. What was astonishing was not that the wine did so well but that wine people in Israel knew so little about it. The wine was made by Cremisan Winery. It made me think how important it is for us to get to know and understand the wine around us and those different from us, within. Only by understanding the region better will we truly understand our own terroir. Be the first to know - Join our Facebook page. Israel is a little schizophrenic with regard to where it is positioned. Politically, it is considered part of the problematical Middle East. In sporting events, it competes as part of Europe. In wine competitions, it is regarded as being in Asia.

Look at the wine shelves in some countries, and it would appear that Israel is part of a wine country called “Kosher.” Culturally, we are nearer to being the 51st state of the United States. Our cuisine is a fusion of North Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Mediterranean. However, as far as wine is concerned, Israel is an integral part of the Eastern Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Sea runs along much of the west coast of the country, and the climate of most of the country’s wine-growing regions is Mediterranean. Decanter Magazine seems to agree. A recent feature article on Israel was headlined “Israel – Eastern Med, not Mid East.” So it is important for us to open our eyes. The most famous wine in the whole of the Eastern Mediterranean is not an Israeli wine. It is Chateau Musar from Lebanon. This winery was founded by Gaston Hochar in 1930 in Ghazir, north of Beirut. When his son Serge took over, the wine was “discovered” at the Bristol Wine Fair in 1979. Serge Hochar was made Decanter Man of the Year in 1984.

Since then, the winery has been given almost cult wine status. Today it remains the third-largest winery in Lebanon, producing wines in its own unique style. However, these days there is so much more than just Musar in Lebanon. Today there are 40 wineries, producing eight million bottles of wine a year. Some 90 percent of the industry is based in the Bekaa Valley, but there are now vineyard developments in north Lebanon, in the Mount Lebanon region and in south Lebanon. The largest and oldest winery is Ksara, founded by Jesuits in 1857. Other very good Lebanese wineries include Kefraya, which has received scores of 92 and 91 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for its prestige flagship wine, Comte de M, and Massaya, whose quality allied to good marketing ushered in a new wave of quality in Lebanese wine. Others to look for are Clos St. Thomas and Domaines des Tourelles. There are a number of newish wineries, such as the nearest one to Israel, Karam Winery, which is based at Jezzine; the impressive Ixsir Winery; and Chateau Marsyas.

Lebanese wines, in my view, taste of sun and spice and are very high quality. The reds are better than the whites, and the best are blends often including Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The main planted grape in Lebanon was historically Cinsault, like we have Carignan in Israel. They have two indigenous white varieties, Merwah and Obadeh, which are considered possible forerunners of Semillon and Chardonnay. The best example of these two varieties is the Chateau Musar Blanc. Lebanon adjoins the Upper Galilee. Moving on to the northeastern border, we come to Syria, which meets Israel in the Golan Heights. There is a very high-quality start-up winery in Syria, based near the port of Latakia. It is owned by the proprietors of Chateau Marsyas in Lebanon. The highly regarded Bordeaux consultant Stephane Derenoncourt consults there. The first wines, using international varieties, were released a few years ago to critical acclaim. Then we come to Jordan, the other side of the Jordan River. There is a good winery in Jordan called Zumot Winery.

Previously, winemaking in Jordan had been left in the hands of a few monasteries. In 1996, Omar Zumot built a winery and planted vineyards at Madaba, southwest of Amman. The wines were named St. George after the nearby church. Now he also has vineyards on the forested slopes of Jerash at 1,000 meters altitude and on the Syrian border at Sama al-Sarhan at 600 meters altitude. He makes organic wines from international varieties. Well worth a visit. To Israel’s south we come to Egypt, home to the world’s first great wine culture. In 1882, Nestor Gianaclis was determined to recreate the wines of the pharoahs and a created a modern wine industry. The wines were never that great, but the tourist market was huge. So Gianaclis Winery grew, and today it is the largest winery in Egypt. The area of vineyards is near Luxor and the Nile Delta. They do have some good brand names, though, such as Omar Khayyam, Crus de Ptolemees and Rubis d’Egypt.

Recently there has been an attempt to make a better Egyptian wine under the brand name Sahara Vineyards. We wait with interest to see how this develops. West of Israel, the nearest country producing wine is Cyprus. It has the largest area per capita under vineyards in the world and is also the world’s oldest wine brand. Commandaria is a sweet, rich dessert wine, known since the times of the Crusades. For years, the wine industry there was dominated by four wineries, Keo, Sodap, Etko and Loel. Lately, they have all reduced quantities and moved to higher altitudes in a bid to improve quality. Sodap is perhaps the best example with its new Kamanterena Winery. However, the real new developments in Cyprus are in the hands of the small boutique wineries such as Vlassides, Kyperounda and Zambartas. Of the local varieties, the Maratheftiko is more promising than the heavily planted Mavro, and the white Xinisteri can produce good fresh wines from higher altitude regions (for example, in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains).

Of the international varieties, the Syrah is well suited there as it seems to be throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. This brings me back to the Cremisan wine, which was described by Robinson as the first Palestinian wine she had tasted. The wine was Star of Bethlehem Hamdani Jandali 2011, a white wine made from two local varieties. Other wines of profound interest to Israelis will be their Dabouki (another white) and their Baladi Asmar red. The wines were made in cooperation with Italian Ricardo Cotarella, one of the most famous consultant winemakers in the world. Before Baron Edmond de Rothschild brought French varieties to Israel in the 1880s, the early Israeli wineries (Shor and Efrat, for example) used these same local grapes from the Bethlehem and Hebron area. The Cremisan Monastery was founded in 1885. It is a Salesian Monastery, affiliated to the Catholic Church. It is situated right on the border between the West Bank and Israel, five kilometers from Bethlehem and 12 km. from Jerusalem. I don’t think you need a flag to grow grapes.

A wine is the result of the place the grapes were grown and the person that made it. A wine made in Alsace, whether it was under a German flag or a French flag, did not in fact change the wine. Therefore, I am profoundly interested in the wines of our region and believe we can learn a great deal by taking time to understand the similarities and differences. Adam Montefiore works for Carmel Winery and regularly writes about wine for international and Israeli publications. Wine Talk: Welcome to the ancient world - Arts & Culture - Jerusalem Post Wine Talk: Welcome to the ancient world By Adam Montefiore 02 November 2011 10:18 Israel is part of the Eastern Mediterranean wine-growing region, a region that gave wine culture to the world. Basalt Stone 311. (photo credit:goisrael.com) Israeli wines are invariably considered to be part of a kosher category. However, this is misleading. There are Israeli wines that are not kosher, and “kosher” is not a country. From a wine point of view, Israel is better described as being part of a wine-growing region, and ours is called the Eastern Mediterranean. This comprises Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon and Israel.

Be the first to know - Join our Facebook page. It is true that it is one of the few wine regions in the world divided by borders of war and religion. However, there are similarities that unite the countries culturally. Mezze, ground coffee and anise-flavored spirits like arak, raki or ouzo are just three things that come to mind. Furthermore, there are similarities in their wine industries. The Eastern Mediterranean was the region that gave wine culture to the world, long before the vine even reached the rest of Europe. This is the region that was the France and Italy of biblical times. The history, archeology, literature and folklore of the era bear witness to a very advanced wine industry, which was a mainstay of the economy and an important part of the lifestyle. If Europe is the old world of wine-making, and Australia and California are the new world, then the Eastern Mediterranean must be the ancient world! This is an area that produced pretty dire wine for 2,000 years, but there has been an incredible turnaround in quality in the last 20 years or so. Greece and Lebanon have gone through quality revolutions similar to what has happened in Israel. There are some wonderful wines from both countries.

Greece has by far the largest and most exciting wine industry in the region. Not unlike the experience in Israel, hosts of small quality boutique wineries have opened, and the larger wineries have responded positively with quality investments of their own. It is a country with 300 indigenous wine grapes, including the well-known red varieties like Xinomavro from the Nauossa region and Aghorghitiko from Nemea. The dessert wines like the muscats from Samos, the port style Mavrodaphne and the Vinsanto, from sun-dried grapes, are both original and world class. Also the white wines made from the Assyrtiko grape, particularly on the volcanic island of Santorini, are superb. The best of the larger wineries are Boutari and Tsantali, and of the smaller boutique wineries Gerovassiliou, Gaia, Kir Yanni and Alpha Estate are recommended. However, there is great depth of quality throughout Greece. The Lebanese wine industry is tiny; but whereas 15 years ago there were only five wineries, today there are more than 30. Lebanese wines are heavily influenced by French traditions, as most of their winemakers were trained in France.

Their red wines are genuinely good, showing the full fruit flavor of the Lebanese sun and the spiciness of the Eastern Mediterranean. Apart from the iconic Chateau Musar, the most famous winery in the whole region, the best of the larger wineries are Ksara and Kefraya. The smaller wineries like Massaya and Clos St. Thomas are maintaining the overall move to quality, and they are being further strengthened by exciting new boutique wineries like Chateau Belle-Vue and Domaine de Baal. The main growing region is still the Bekaa Valley, but some of the newer boutiques are planting vineyards in other parts of Lebanon. Though slower off the mark, in recent years Cyprus and Turkey are also starting to make very encouraging changes. Cyprus has the highest per-capita concentration of vineyards in the world. However, until recently it was known only for the treacly dessert wine Commandaria, the world’s oldest wine brand dating from the 12th-century Crusades. However, now there is a mini revolution afoot in Cyprus and a new desire to make quality wines.

The larger wineries are SODAP and Keo, but arguably the better wines come from new boutique wineries, such as Kyperounda, Tsiakkas, Vlassides and Zambartas. The reds from the local Maratheftiko grape and whites made from Xynisteri are best. As in Israel, the best vineyards are at higher altitudes, and in particular in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains in the southwest of the country. Turkey has the fourth-largest area of vineyards in the world, but only 2 percent of the grape yield is used to make wine. Turkey, though, does have some unique and interesting indigenous varieties like Boglazkere, Okuzgozu and Kalecik Karasi among the red grapes, and Narince and Emir for whites. The three largest wineries – Kavaklidere, Doluca and Kayra – are arguably making the best wines and leading a new drive for quality. There are, however, new small wineries like Corvus and Buyulubag that are investing in quality.

The Eastern Mediterranean is making exciting wines that are sought by enterprising sommeliers and wine stores for their quality, originality and the fact that they come from the world’s “newest” quality wine region. Israeli wines should be listed on wine lists and displayed on wine shelves along with those of Greece and Lebanon. This is far preferable to Israeli wines being hidden, stateless, in a kosher section. European, South American and Australasian wines are often bracketed together. Why not also the wines of the Eastern Mediterranean? After all, the Jewish winemakers of Israel share a common purpose with the Christian winemakers of Lebanon and Cyprus and the Muslim winemakers of Turkey. As I often say, if the people of the region drank more wine and less coffee, it might be a more peaceful place. Adam Montefiore works for Carmel Wine and writes about wine for Israeli and international publications. adam@carmelwines.co.il

Question: Which country, with an eastern Mediterranean coastline, produces the red win Chateau Musar?
Answer: Lebanon